Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or Desmond Ridder

Thursday, August 7, 3:38 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reports that quarterback Aaron Rodgers, among other veterans, will not play in Saturday's preseason opener against the hosting Jacksonville Jaguars. With rookie signal-caller Will Howard (hand) battling a hand issue, fellow QBs Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are expected to handle the bulk of the reps for the team. However, it's worth mentioning that Howard has yet to be ruled out, per Mark Kaboly of 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh. Tomlin has noted that he's "comfortable" with what he's seen from his new quarterback, but also remarked that next week "may be different". Rodgers figures to get some playing time in before the start of the regular season, and that could come as soon as next Saturday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town.

Sunday, July 20, 1:53 PM

Former Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback Desmond Ridder is signing an undisclosed deal with the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, per the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Ridder will bring some experience to the Bengals' QB room behind starter Joe Burrow. The 25-year-old Ridder will join backups Jake Browning and Logan Woodside. He was originally a third-rounder by Atlanta in 2022 out of Cincinnati. Ridder made 17 starts in Atlanta in his first two years in the NFL before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals in 2024. He then appeared in six games with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024 before joining the Bengals this summer. In three NFL seasons, Ridder has completed 63.6% of his pass attempts for 4,002 yards, 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 25 games (18 starts). He will not be a lock to make the 53-man roster out of training camp.